North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said on Dec. 31 that he had commuted the sentences of 15 death row inmates convicted of first-degree murder to life without the possibility of parole.
Marking one of his final acts in office, the governor commuted the sentences following a review of the detailed petitions for clemency that were submitted by the inmates, along with input from district attorneys and the families of victims, according to a statement.
While no single factor determined the decision to commute a sentence, the governor’s office considered a variety of factors in reviewing the petitions, including the facts and circumstances surrounding the crime, whether a murder was “particularly heinous and cruel,” the defendant’s criminal history, and their conduct in prison, his office said….